Reporting a press conference

This is a brilliant sample report! Please mind that this was a fictitious press conference, therefore the facts/info content might be inaccurate!!

Hungarian tourism thrives on foreign capital

– report on the governmental press conference, 26-04-2012, Flora Linczmayer –

We are now far ahead in May, and the high season of tourism is just knocking on the door. With the intention to provide the public with an overall view on the country’s tourism, the Ministry of National Economy held a press conference to bring forward the touristic activity taking place within the borders of Hungary.

What the average citizen can definitely tell back from many years’ experience is that in Hungary tourism is and has always been an important issue. However, the real question is how important role does it play concerning the revenues of the state. Statistics have shown that visits to places of Hungary have risen significantly, the number of visitors being almost the double as it has been earlier with an escalating percentage of 40. This resulted in the increase of GDP between 2005 and 2007 explained by the growing tendency of people coming to the Carpathian Basin, who are also willing to spend their money beyond their borders.

But what is so attractive to foreigners in our small country? “Among their incentives lie reasons similar to Hungarian residents’, such as going on holidays or VFR. But what is outstanding compared to participants to domestic tourism is that they more frequently use health & wellness facilities that we ourselves do. They often come and stay not only for a long interval, but also for a shorter halt, since Budapest is becoming a greater business headquarter year by year.” – a government expert said.

While inbound tourism composes a large bit of Hungary’s internal tourism, domestic tourism gives only 20%. The reason behind it can be well described by the type of accommodation that Hungarian residents tend to choose when leaving their homes. The average Hungarian travels to visit the relatives or friends and sleeps over at the host’s; or when he is on vacation, he prefers cheap motels or apartments which are isolated from the crowds. Therefore it is the financial situation that determines the conditions that a Hungarian tourist decides for accommodation.

As for what regions of Hungary are worth for taking a few days off, there is a great emphasis on the western territories. Foreigners arriving at the country from beyond the western borders hardly cross the Danube and reach the northern mountain range. It can also be observed, that many of the famous sights can be found to extent of the Danube as at the ancient times only the western half was the part of the Roman Empire and thus culturally rich. What still makes the Dunántúl so popular is the fact that Lake Balaton lies there which is visited by 60% of all participating in internal tourism.

In conclusion, what we might state is that the prospering future of Hungary and its people relies on the capital of foreign investments and inbound tourism, people coming with the plan to relax (rather at Lake Balaton) or to spend a few days in the capital with initiating and maintaining business relationships. All we need to do is prepare a friendly welcome for their arrival!

Internet genres of tourism

Review of Budapest – A Critical Guide by Török András displayed in the online shop http://www.polc.hu/konyv/budapest__a_critical_guide/712544/

This book tries to combine three types of guides with the advantages of all three: the Baedeker type, the critical guidebook and the alternative guide-book. It tries to serve you as an “invisible host”.
There is a Hungarian saying for things that seem impossible: ‘an iron ring made out of wood’. Even if this book cannot overcome the language difficulties, it is designed to put the visitor at ease when making his own plans to discover the city. After all, it is easier to get help with the language from friends, business partners, interpreters or hotel receptionists, than to get ideas for spending one’s time.
Click on the book to look inside or follow this link: http://static.polc.hu/previews/pdf/00/71/25/712544.pdf (Pages from 236 are worth reading to see how the author mixes carefully researched facts with subjective impressions of possible attractions.)

You should also

•Find a good restaurant review

•Find a good description of a national dish
•Find a concise description of a national / regional cuisine
Then:
Recommend a restaurant using these categories:

•Location
•Atmosphere, environment
•Selection /range of specialities
•Food and drink
•Staff / service
•Background music
•Prices
•Level of formality
Possible expressions are e.g.:… a la carte and a fixed price menu …/… to the tunes of live folk music … / … convenient for travellers /… widely acclaimed for haute cuisine …/ excellent range of  …

A sample speech on cultural tourism

Cultural heritage and the challenges of tourism / by Karina Pintér

Good morning ladies and gentleman, today I will talk about cultural heritage and the challenges of tourism.

There is nothing new about the concept of visiting historic places. We have always loved to explore buildings of the past. It has grown a popular pastime activity.

So what does the expression ‘cultural heritage’ mean? There are some concepts, which we have to clear up, first of all. Cultural heritage is something that is inherited from the past, maintained in the present and conserved for the future. This concept includes many things connected to history, values, sites, arts, and lifestyles from the past. Natural heritage means culturally-significant landscapes, and biodiversity.

The preservation or conservation of cultural heritage is the responsibility of the current generation. So how can we preserve it for the next generations? Of course, we can collect artifacts in museums. But what can we do with buildings, districts or whole towns which are connected to historical events or personalities? Fortunately, there are world heritage, national and regional heritage movements, that do the preservation work. There are 911 world heritage sites listed in the world.

A big problem of preservation is to maintain the authenticity of a site. There is a need in modern tourism for ‘heritage experience.’ That is the reason for historical theme parks whose historical accuracy is questionable. Among the motivations to build these theme parks, of course there is a demand for the past. The question is that these parks have their own identity or they are just fantasy?

Another important question is to rebuild or not to rebuild historical buildings. We can theme for their original purposes, in which case we have to rebuild them. Or we can use them as aids for exploring history, in which case we need to conserve them in their original state.

In conclusion, we have many questions to deal with, because we are the current generation with the responsibility to bestow our cultural heritage for the future.

Please note the rethorical structure. Grab the attention of your audience. Lead your listeners/readers from one topic to the other. Don’t overcomplicate your speech. Compare and contrast ideas. Be interesting. For two minutes all eyes are on you. This is your great moment.

Interesting representations of Budapest and Hungary

These two promotional videos represent the many sides of Hungary and the capital city. They highlight various dimensions of culture conveying positive images. In 2011, the Riga International Festival of Tourism Films awarded one of the two videos, Hungary – World of Potentials as best in Culture films category. It also received the Grand Prix of the Festival.

Hungary World of Potentials

Budapest Business Region – Get engaged

Layers to observe in the videos:1. Inventions, inventors (past and present), creativity, products 2. Tourists and people who live here 3. Music 4. Destnations 5. Activities

The ordeals of tourism

1. Watch the video about the terrible vacation at http://www.expedianews.com/  and answer these questions, note them down for the next class.   (the video is in the middle of the page)               

Describe the accommodation the couple had booked online and the one they found. What did they do when they returned from their vacation? How did the TV channel crew investigate the case? What were the main problems according to the inspector? What is the connection between expedia.com and hotels.com? What legal document did the company receive from the local council? What actions did expedia.com do after the journalists’ visit?  What advice did the governor give to future online bookers?

2.The following articles are about Ryanair. What do you think about their pricing policy?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1197799/Ryanair-make-passengers-stand-bid-cram-board.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/5199997/Ryanair-considers-fat-tax-for-obese-air-passengers.html

This song is about cheap flights.  (Irish English + rude language!!) Try to name some of the extra costs and inconveniences they mention.

Finally, just watch these two videos:

Sustainable tourism

http://www.birdinghungary.com/guiding.html

Explore this site and answer the following questions:

1. How would you translate ’birder’? How informative is the site for birders?

2. List some of their special offers:

Expressions used:

3. How do they describe themselves?

Expressions used:

4. Who are their possible customers?

5. Samples of specialist vocabulary

A) birds:

B) describing geographical features of Hungary:

6. Name 4 birds with a key population in Hungary and translate them into your own language:

7. Something missing from the website?

http://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/

1. What is the story behind this park? (… how it all began)

2. What are their activities?

3. What is your general impression on the Donkey Sanctuary? Would you visit it?

4. Is there a site near your home established for a similar purpose? (save some endangered species, area etc.) If not, could you suggest something to be saved?

http://www.thomascook.com/sustainable-tourism/

Read the description of sustainable tourism on this site.

Give examples how tourists/tourism companies can:

minimise their total amount of waste

travel in an environmentally friendly way

use the environment responsibly

Tour guide speech – Budapest

contributed by J. S.

Good morning everyone. My name is Anna.  I am one of the two guides that will accompany you during your stay in Budapest. The other guide is Christina and you will be meeting her at the hotel tomorrow morning. We would like to welcome you all to Budapest. We will arrive at the hotel in 10 minutes, therefore I would like to ask you all to check if you have all your baggage with you, please do not leave anything unattended on the bus because we cannot take responsibility for it. Now I’d like to take some time to inform you about brief safety precautions. Firstly, during the next 7 days the temperature will be above 25 degrees, so you should make sure that you drink enough water and we also recommend you to use sunscreen to avoid sunburn. Secondly, you should always take care of your belongings while walking in the city.

Now let me say a few words about the famous sights and tourist attractions Budapest has to offer. You should pay a visit to the famous Buda Castle, which is part of the Budapest World Heritage Site. It is definitely worth going up there, because from the top you get a beautiful view of the city to the Danube, especially to the Chain Bridge and the Clark Ádám Square. To go up to the castle you can either walk or you can also use the furnicular.

Another famous sight you should explore is the Heroes’ Square. This is one of the major squares of the city and it is rich with historic and political connotations; you can find statues of the leaders of the seven tribes that founded Hungary in the 9th century and other outstanding figures of Hungarian history. Moreover, this is not the only attraction here, the square is located between the Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Art, and it faces the iconic Andrássy Avenue. It was recognized as a World Heritage Site in 2002 and also it is one of Budapest’s main shopping streets, with fine cafes, restaurants, theatres, and luxury boutiques.

Last but not least I have to talk about Széchenyi thermal bath. If you feel like you need some recreation, this is the place to be. The Széchenyi bath is the largest medicinal bath in Europe. Its water is supplied by two thermal springs, whose temperature is 74 °C and 77 °C. The bath can be found in the City Park, and was built in 1913 in Neo-baroque style to the design of Győző Czigler.  The complex has 3 outdoor and 15 indoor pools. Towels and swimsuits can be rented or bought in the spa. You should keep in mind that on weekends and holidays the entrance fee is higher than on weekdays.

Thank you for your attention everyone, and on behalf of Hungarian Tours we wish you a pleasant and memorable vacation here, in Budapest!

Active tourism – what kind of activity?

We will look at seaside resorts as typical areas for active tourism. They used to play an important part as tourism destinations as early as the 19th century. 

 Past

Look for the expressions ’seaside holidays in the past’ or ’Victorian seaside holidays’ (Google / Images), and name some of the typical activities.

Watch the video of Blackpool, the working-class resort in 1904, and an amazing one from 1926. Note down your thoughts on the tourists, facilities, infrastructure, and social activities.

Present

A man with an incredible voice introduces Los Cabos:

Here you can read and listen to a sample tour-guide speech introducing Los Cabos.

Tour Guide

Some young people have different ideas about active tourism:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMqpghqkeYk

Read this article: http://www.scribd.com/doc/126573266/Ibiza

What is your opinion about the problem? (Or are you part of it?)